The Curse
by Sianna Jay
Summary: The title says it all. Just the first chapter in a long series (I hope). R/R, no flames plz
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: Oh I hate these

Disclaimer: Oh I hate these...alrite, everything you haven't seen in the Harry Potter books is mine, and everything else is J.K. Rowling's.

Chapter 1 - The Betrayal

It was a bright spring day. But Elizabeth Corcos' mood didn't match the weather. The shock of what had just happened was still sinking in. She remembered last night, and every single detail, every single thought....

*~*~*~*~*

*Memory* 

Liz Corcos walked home to Malfoy Manor, whistling cheerfully. She had been promoted at work, and was heading back early to surprise her boyfriend Gregory Malfoy, and her best friend Veronica Weasley, who was staying over. Around the curb, up the steps, through the door, and into the Manor. Suddenly, it occurred to her to try and give Greg and Ronnie a little scare. She smirked evilly, remembering all the times they had played pranks on her. Liz tiptoed silently up the stairs, towards the main bedroom. Little did she know she was really making the biggest mistake she could imagine. The door opened easily, but when Liz turned, she got a huge shock. In the king sized bed that she and Greg shared, he was sleeping with - Ronnie! Liz held back a scream of hurt, anger, and confusion; instead, she whipped out her wand, gathering up courage. She gripped her wand tightly, and in one sudden, quick, almost instant decision, she flicked her wand at Greg and Ronnie, and snapped, "Stupefy!" Advancing on the bed, the thumping in her chest got faster, she didn't want to believe is was real, wanted to believe it was all a dream, and she was going to wake up. Pulling back the covers, her suspicions were confirmed. They'd been doing it, that much was obvious. In fact, they were still connected. Tears about to spill out, she backed up slowly, pointed her wand at them and muttered, "Enervate!" When Greg and Ronnie's eyes opened, and they realized the situation, Greg sat up, disentangling himself from Ronnie, and said, in a shaky voice, "Liz...it's not what it looks like...." But his voice failed under Liz's flashing eyes and furious glare. After a horrible, tense silence, Liz spoke. "I cannot believe that you two, of all people, are having an affair behind my back. I trusted both of you. Greg, didn't you tell me you would never love another? And you, Ronnie, didn't you say you'd never think of taking Greg away?" Another tense silence, and Ronnie said, "Liz...I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing..." Liz finally let the tears slide down her cheeks. Her emotions were swimming around in her head, and she didn't know what to do. Finally, she let her hurt and anger take over. Raising her wand once more, she said, in a dangerous voice, " You two betrayed me, and had an affair behind my back, seemingly not caring about what I would think if I ever found out. Now you will see the consequence. Love in both of your families will diminish, until one is born who understands. Lovilias Totalus!" And with that, Liz stalked out of the bedroom, heading for her own little room, where she kept all the things she had at Malfoy Manor. In just a few hours, she would be back in her own house again. Lonely, but safe from the hurt in this house. Locking her door to keep out any apologies from either of those traitors, she began tossing everything into her little suitcase.

*End Memory*

Now Liz sat on her bed, sobbing quietly. It's no good crying your eyes out anymore, what's done is done and you can't change it. She remembered a line she'd picked up somewhere. Fall down seven times, get up eight. No matter how many times you fall, get up and keep going, it'll be all right in the end. Liz sighed. How she missed those days when everything was fine, when she and Ronnie were at Hogwarts and still thinking up mean things to say to the meaner Slytherins (Gregory changed after a while). She thought harder. One of the more insulting things to say came back to her, one that she'd been just waiting to say to Peter Goyle. Remember, when someone pisses you off, it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown. But it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and bitch-slap the motherfucker. I suppose you're rather unfortunate, since 4 muscles are all I'm planning to use on you.Suddenly, she giggled. All the little quotes and things were coming back to her. Giggling crazily, her spirits lifted just a bit. It came as a surprise. Liz had been so mixed up in different emotions that she believed she might never love again. Now, she decided to push her mind off Greg and Ronnie. It wasn't worth it, mourning when she didn't really have to. She got up and walked to the kitchen to fix some hot chocolate, thinking hard to herself. As she walked in, she spotted a note on the table, and an owl hooting softly on the table. Funny, she thought, I never heard an owl come in. Must have come during the night. She stroked the bird absentmindedly, her other hand holding the letter. Only when the owl, which was a beautiful snowy owl, hooted again and affectionately pecked her arm, did Liz come to, and look at the letter. The paper looked familiar...with that unique border. Oh yeah. Belonged to Greg. Liz dropped the letter back on the table with a disgusted look. Come to plead for her to take off the spell, no doubt. She patted the owl again, who took off once more. Sitting down and sipping her hot chocolate, Liz felt a little better, and decided not to read the letter just yet. Instead, she went out to sit on her porch, bathed in light sunlight and a cool breeze, and sat there drinking hot chocolate and reading a book. The book, Hogwarts, A History, was one of the older ones she had, and she hadn't read it since...since her school days! How long ago that was, even though it wasn't so long ago after all. She was 28, so it had only been 17 years since her first year. She drifted off into memories of Hogwarts.

*~*~*~*~*

Several hours later, it was time for dinner. Liz got up to make dinner, and in 30 minutes she was eating away. Glancing at her messes on the table, her eyes once again fell on the letter she wasn't going to read just yet. In spite of her now gradually getting happier mood, she felt just a tiny bit sad. In the old days she would have read the letter at least twice by now, possibly more. She would have been excited to get a letter from either of her best friends. It occurred to her to try and forgive them. Her mind answered immediately. I will NOT take off the curse. Even the most forgiving person probably wouldn't. Too bad. She frowned. Maybe I shoulda added something else...Oh well, too late.

*~*~*~*~*

That night... 

Liz picked up the letter carelessly, and crawled into bed. She hesitated, then opened it. The letter was not too long, only about 1/4 of a piece of parchment. It read:

Liz,

Look, Greg and I are really sorry about the affair. This was not supposed to happen, I was and still am dating another guy from school (Andrew Longbottom, I'm sure you know him) and Greg didn't care a lot about anyone other than you! What I really need to say is that whatever happened was not meant to happen, the whole thing had a reason. We didn't have a choice, and if you would just come back to the manor we could explain to you what's wrong, I won't say in a letter because the owl might be intercepted. Just come to the manor tomorrow at 8:00 AM and we'll explain this whole thing away, ok? I trust that you will believe us. We are truly sorry.

Sincerely,

Veronica Weasley 

Liz thought for a while. Can I forgive them? Should I go? What if it's a trick? She shook her head. Just go, she urged herself, it won't make much of a difference, will it? No. I'll go. Not looking forward to the next day, she turned the parchment over and wrote on the back:

Ronnie & Greg,

All right, I'll come, but this explanation better be good or I'll hex you both again.

From,

Elizabeth Corcos

Liz folded up the letter and went to find her own owl, called Morgana. She tied the letter to Morgana's leg, and then Morgana soared out the window, to Malfoy Manor.

*~*~*~*~*

The next morning...

Liz got out of bed and stretched. The letter was sprawled carelessly on the bedspread. She glanced at the clock. 6:00 in the morning, and she couldn't get back to sleep. She decided to go early, it wouldn't hurt. And in half an hour, she was ready to go. Jogging down the road to Malfoy Manor, she again looked at her watch. 7:00. She didn't want to just barge in, and figured she'd just knock if she saw them inside, or hang around and come back at 8:00. As soon as she came to the Manor, she walked cautiously up to the door and peered into the windows on the door. What she saw almost made her run in and kill the two of them. Inside,Ronnie and Greg were doing it-on the couch! With an enraged hiss, Liz sat down on the steps and pressed her ear to the door, forcing herself to be quiet. There were the usual noises, but then finally Greg spoke. "Honey, we gotta stop at 7:45, we don't know when Liz will get here and if she thinks we lied then...well, I don't think we can maintain the relationship." "Alright, baby." Liz just managed to regain control of her temper and walked away from Malfoy Mansion. I'll come back, oh yes I will. And I'll punish the hell outta them for this. What the hell do they think they were doing, doing it on the COUCH?! God they will be sorry for this. She ran in laps around the block until she'd run her anger away, and then decided she'd go for a quick snack before going back. Or not. Wonder what they were up to now? A choice. Great. Liz was never good at choosing a choice that worked out, but she decided to give it a try. Go back and see what other things were happening, or stay and eat and fall for a possible trick? Go back. Go back. The decision was instant. She ran back all the way. Upon getting there, she again sank onto the step and pressed her ear against the door. She looked at her watch. Only 7:35. Ten more minutes-yuck! It was gross listening to her two ex-best friends doing it, but she decided she would deal for now. Gripping her wand, she thought of all the curses she knew. The Furnunculus curse, Stun them, body bind them, and better disarm them first, who knew whether they had their wands with them or not? There was more, but she thought to do them later. Listening carefully, she heard a bit of mumbling, a few snatches of conversation she couldn't make out. Then came what she was here for. A lie.

"Ronnie, ya know, I think we'd better run through that story we made up last night, just once to get it perfect, if Liz doesn't believe us she might curse us again. And we'll also need our wands. Okay, what's the story again?" Greg's slightly muffled voice. Ronnie replied easily, "Okay, we were out together for a friendly dinner when we met your cousin David, who mocked us and said that if we really cared about Liz then we'd do it, just once, and he would leave us alone and not carry out his threat, that he would curse Liz for fun. He's the type that thinks that it would be funny if she walked in, and she did. And the whole point was to keep her from getting cursed cuz we cared so much." It sounded like they'd been rehearsing for a long time already, probably the whole night. And Liz knew that Greg and Ronnie were both extremely good actors and actresses. If she hadn't heard all this, maybe she would have believed it. But now she knew the whole thing, and she wasn't going to fall for it. "Oh yeah, Greg, and we gotta pretend to cry a bit too, to make it more realistic." "Ok, let's clean up now, we don't want any clues around when she arrives. And remember, if she starts to do anything too drastic, stun her." Liz hid her wand under her jacket. If she was gonna go there, might as well look vulnerable and trusting. That way they wouldn't stun her as fast and she'd be able to freeze them with the Impediment curse and something else, possibly. Taking a deep breath, she thought, If they aren't done cleaning up, too bad, maybe I'll catch them at something. She rang the doorbell, and an instant later, the door opened, and Ronnie was smiling as nervously as possible. Greg hung his head and Liz sat at her usual chair in front of the TV. "Ok Liz," Ronnie started. "I just wanna say sorry for everythin' we did again. If you'd let us explain...." Liz just nodded mutely. "Ok, we were out for a friendly dinner last week, when I first arrived, and we sorta bumped into Greg's cousin David...and he's the one who'd do anything to hurt people...and Liz..." Ronnie began to stammer and cry. "He said that if me and Greg didn't do it then he'd...he'd curse you and make you join the death eaters, he'd kidnap you or something, no matter who was in the way! And Greg and I were so scared, cuz you mean so much to us, and we didn't want anythin' to happen to you!" Ronnie totally broke down, tears streaming down her face. Might as well play the forgiving betrayed friend. Liz grumbled to herself, but kept her face straight. "It's ok Ronnie, I totally understand, I wish I hadn't blown up so fast. Thank you." Ronnie looked up. "You're forgiving us?" She asked, with a perfectly surprised face. "Yes." Liz answered firmly. "But now I know the reason, I still have to go home, I have a meeting to attend, cause I got promoted a while ago." Greg finally spoke. "Congrats Liz. I'm proud." "Ok," Liz said easily, "But I have to go. See you guys later." She backed up to the door, but just as she was about to close it, she turned back and called to them. "Oh, I almost forgot! I do suppose I should take off the curse, yes?" They nodded hopefully. "Well, guess what? I should tell you something. But first...Petrificus Totalus!" She waved her wand at Greg and Ronnie, and they instantaneously fell rigid onto the floor. She walked over and knelt above them. "I didn't tell you, did I, that I heard you two rehearsing that story at 7:30. And if you must know, I've been hidden outside the door all this time. So just to tell you, next time you wanna lie about something, be less public. And don't do it while you're doing it on the couch, it doesn't mix." Then she turned and walked away without even bothering to un-body bind them.

(A/N: Review please, and if you like it I might just continue...even if you don't I'll continue anyway, don't wanna just throw away the idea...)


	2. The Holidays

Chapter 2 – The Discovery

Chapter 2 – The Holidays

Harry, Ron, and Hermione jogged down the hall together. "Harry, hurry, we're gonna miss the coach!" Hermione panted. Harry lugged his suitcase along behind him and called back, "I know, Hermione! Just slow down a bit!" At last, they reached the coach that would take them to the Hogwarts Express, and just in time too, for Professor McGonagall pushed them hurriedly into a compartment. "Jesus, you two!" Harry groaned. "Does it take THAT long to pack? I waited for an HOUR for you guys." "Sorry, Harry." Ron mumbled. "Yeah…sorry, but girls have a lot more things to pack than boys do, Harry." Hermione added. She sighed. "Anyone for a game of Exploding Snap?"

A while later, they were on the Hogwarts Express, and Ron and Hermione were slouched over on top of each other, asleep. Ron had fallen asleep first, leaning on the wall. Then Hermione had fallen asleep and unconsciously drooped sideways onto Ron. Harry sighed. It was so boring without anyone to talk to. Suddenly the compartment door slid open. Harry tensed up, not wanting Ron and Hermione to be unprotected from Malfoy's hexes. But it was only Ginny. She walked in shyly, smiling at Harry, then turned her gaze to the comical heap that was her brother and Hermione. Grinning, she said, "I wonder if they like each other?" Harry grinned back. "I don't think so, I guess it was just someone for Hermione to use as a pillow." Both of them started laughing. And after a while, they were sitting next to each other, chatting about school and the holidays. "Harry, you'll be over at our house in a week, right?" Ginny asked anxiously. "I don't like the sound of those Dursleys…" Harry laughed. "Oh Ginny, they can't do anything too bad to me, they're too afraid that your dad and mom will show up and hex Dudley the way Hagrid did when I first met him." Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Something you haven't told me before but can tell me now?" She teased. "Oh yeah," Harry replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. 'He's so cute.' Ginny thought. 'I wish he did like me though.' "So what happened?" Ginny asked innocently, expecting something really funny. "Hagrid came in, and you know that big pink umbrella he has? I think the two halves of his wand are in there. Anyway, I don't remember really well, but Dudley did something that really got on Hagrid's nerves, so Hagrid hexed him and tried to turn him into a pig. Needless to say, the spell failed, but the result was even funnier." Ginny giggled. "What was the result?" She asked. "Oh…Dudley ended up having a pig's tail sticking out of his ass and had to be brought to a hospital in London to have it removed." At this point, both Harry and Ginny were laughing so hard they almost started crying. "Imagine that!" Harry gasped in between chuckles.Ginny glanced at Harry. *He's so CUTE when he laughs like that* She thought dreamily. *I wish he would like me, but I guess fate has it's own path. * "Ginny?" A voice from far away interrupted her daydreams. "Ginnnyyy…are you okay?" Harry's slightly worried face became clear. Ginny snapped back to reality. "I'm fine Harry, sorry, I just zoned out a bit." She replied, staring into those beautiful bright green eyes she loved so much. *If only I had the courage to tell him. * She thought sadly. Harry looked relieved and smiled. *That smile! * Ginny was lost in her own dreams now. Harry sighed. He knew that Ginny was in love with him. When he'd first met her, he wasn't sure if he could feel anything for her except as his best friend's sister. But now, even though he didn't admit it to anyone, he had feelings for her. Not as just Ron's sister anymore. No, he believed he was in love with her back. Of course, he had and still did like Cho Chang, but the way he felt when he was around her was nothing compared to what he felt around little Ginny. Strange. He'd always thought of her as little Ginny, but now, he realized, she was so much more. Harry smiled unconsciously. He drifted off into a semiconscious state, dreaming what life would be like married to Ginny. 

Ginny awoke with a jerk. She looked around, confused, then her mind woke up and she remembered she was on the Hogwarts Express. She surveyed the room. Ron and Hermione were STILL asleep (*The sleepy heads! * Ginny thought, grinning) and now, Harry was too. A tuft of his jet black hair fell over his face, making him more adorable than ever. "Harry!" Ginny whispered. He didn't wake up. She moved right next to him, and, with the assumption it wouldn't matter what she said because he was asleep, she started to tell him how she felt. "Harry, I know you probably can't hear me, which is why I'm gonna tell you this.I've been in love with you ever since I first met you, when you were in your first year. I know you really like Cho Chang, and I don't mind, cause I know you probably will never like me, but I just want you to know that I'm in love with you." She stopped, hesitated, then leaned down and kissed his cheek. A second later, Harry opened his eyes, sat up, and said, "You really mean that?" Ginny blushed, embarrassed, and muttered a low "yeah" back at him. Right then, Harry knew it was time to tell her how he felt. "Ginny…I haven't told anyone this yet, not even Ron, but I'm in love with you too. It started when I rescued you from the Chamber of Secrets, but I didn't tell anyone." Ginny's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? Or is this just a joke or something?" Harry blushed lightly. "I mean it. I mean…I guess it's sorta hard to believe, ya know, since everyone who knows who I like believes it's Cho, and I'm gonna let them keep on thinking that. Even Ron doesn't know I'm in love with you." Ginny just stared, her mouth hanging open, disbelief written all over her face. "Okay, I know by the expression on your face that you're not taking this too well, but please, Ginny, you have to believe me!" Harry pleaded. He sighed, gathered up his courage, and finally opened his mouth to ask her what he'd wanted to say since his second year. "Ginny…" He started, but Ginny interrupted, reading his mind. "Yeah." She said, before he even got the sentence out. "Yeah, I'll go out with you. It's what I've always wanted. Even if I think I'm dreaming." Harry leaned over hesitantly, then kissed her cheek. "You're not," Harry whispered. "You're not."

***

*One hour later…*

Ginny was asleep, her head resting on Harry's chest. He was lightly stroking her hair, lost in his own thoughts. Without warning, Malfoy's voice pierced the silence from outside the compartment. "Crabbe, Goyle, it's Potty and the Weasel. C'mon, let's see what they're up to." Harry sat up abruptly, waking Ginny. "Wha?" she muttered. "Malfoy." Harry replied, his eyes narrowed. Ginny leaned over and poked Hermione and Ron awake. "Careful guys, Malfoy's outside, get ready to hex them." She hissed. All four of them lifted their wands and aimed at the door, right when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stepped in. "Oh look!" Malfoy drawled. "It's Potter and Weasley." He glanced at Hermione. "And Granger." He added, smirking cruelly at her. But under the smirk he put on, Draco melted slightly. *Dammit!* he swore at himself. *Why the hell do I always melt like this when I'm around Granger? I **won't let myself love her, I ****won't!* But even as he thought this, the smirk frozen on his face, he knew, under all of his resentment at the mere idea, that he loved her, and nothing he did or thought was going to change that. *Shit!* he thought. But before his mind could wander any further, Ron's low, angry voice broke in. "Get outta here, Malfoy, unless you want to be hexed. I'll give you 5 seconds. 5…" Malfoy jerked involuntarily, then narrowed his eyes and backed up a step. But his mind was still on Hermione. He glanced at her, and his face softened for a split second before hardening again. Hermione caught the glance and her breath caught in her throat. *Is it possible?* she wondered to herself. *No, it can't be. After all, he's Malfoy.* her mind answered back. *It doesn't matter who he is, he's the hottest guy in school and I love him.* she felt her heart say. Hermione shook her head and said, "Guys, leave him alone. He's not worth it." She said coolly. Harry and Ron stared at her, the counting forgotten, and Ginny just flashed her a look of disbelief and sudden realization and understanding. Malfoy looked at her too, and for a millisecond, his face showed gratitude, then returned to his usual evil expression. Hermione saw it and felt shocked with disbelief mixed in. Malfoy and gratitude just did ****not mix. Even still, she felt hope. Maybe Malfoy was changing. It wasn't impossible. Nothing was. She looked at Malfoy expectantly, and his head dipped ever so slightly. Then he growled a "Let's go" at Crabbe and Goyle, and they turned at left. Harry sighed and sat back down. Ron turned to her, puzzled, and inquired, "Are you okay?"**

"Yea, why?" Hermione answered. "Because you just defended Malfoy!" Ron snapped. He stopped, surprised at his sudden outburst. "I was **not!" Hermione lied. "I just…I dunno." Ron gave her another quizzical look, then promptly went back to sleep. A few minutes later, Harry was asleep too. Ginny snapped her fingers in front of Harry and Ron's eyes. No reaction. They were asleep for sure. Finally Ginny said, "Hermione, you're in love with Malfoy, aren't you?" Hermione tensed up, not expecting her to be so blunt. "Yes," she admitted, "I am in love with Malfoy. Ginny, please don't tell this to Ron or Harry, they would freak out for sure." Ginny put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "It's okay, I won't. I know how you feel. Like he'd never like you, right?" Hermione smiled at the accurate description. "Well," Ginny continued, "I saw that glance of gratitude he gave you and I personally think that he is getting better and you should have hope. If you hope long enough, then you'll end up together." Hermione turned to look at her, suddenly realizing what had happened while she was asleep. "The way you and Harry are finally together?" She asked mischievously. Ginny grinned. "Does it show all over my face?" she asked. "No," Hermione replied, "But to me it is. I knew from the way you two looked at each other." Ginny blushed. "Harry is the only person I ever dream about." She confessed. "So?" Hermione shot back. "Draco is the only person I ever dream about." Harry stirred and Ron shifted. Hermione glanced at them worriedly. "Did they hear that?" she asked. Ginny went to Harry and stroked his hair. Harry didn't move. She went over to Ron and poked his forehead. Ron didn't move either. "No, they didn't." She reassured Hermione. She cocked her head. "Wanna play something?" Hermione nodded.**

***

*Several days later*

Harry woke up to a pecking noise on his bedroom window. He looked around, confused for a moment. Then it all came back. He was at the Dursleys', he was going out with Ginny, and Hedwig was pecking on his window and if he didn't open it soon Uncle Vernon was going to lock him in the room again. He let Hedwig in and stroked her feathers affectionately. Then he looked at the letters Hedwig dropped in his lap. One from Ron, one from Hermione, one from Sirius, and one from Ginny (he noted this with pleasure). He opened Ginny's half page letter first.

Dear Harry, (the letter read)

I miss you so much. The letter from Ron will let you know when you're coming over, no matter what your aunt and uncle say. I can't wait to see you. (*I can't wait to see you either* Harry reflected) When you come over, we're gonna practice Quidditch. Bill and Charlie are here again, but Percy's really busy with the ministry. Anyway, since you're coming soon, I'll tell you everything when you get here. By the way…I'm not sure you know, and I assure you she found out entirely by herself, but Hermione knows we're going out. Ron still doesn't know. Do you wanna keep this relationship a secret or do you not care? I'll leave it up to you. It doesn't matter for me, as long as I have you. Well, gotta go, Bill and Ron are coming to take a peek at what I'm writing. See you soon.

Love,

Ginny

Harry grinned to himself. *Love you too* he thought. He put aside Ginny's letter and picked up Ron's. 

Harry,

Tell the Dursleys we're coming at 8 in the morning tomorrow. It's short notice, but if he frowns, tell him you're gonna write to Sirius, I'll bet he'll freak out and let you go. Hehe. Oh, Mom said to tell you that if you want, starve yourself for a while and have breakfast with us (we'll have more food =p). Anyway, gonna go now and see what Ginny's up to. Writing a letter to someone, maybe a boyfriend, I dunno who it is. (*Whoa* Harry thought *You have **NO idea how close you are to the truth…now all you're missing is my name*) See you tomorrow Harry!**

Ron

Harry's grin got a bit wider. He opened Sirius' letter.

Harry,

How are you? I'm assuming you'll be at Arthur Weasley's but not so soon. I'm still in hiding, and at the cave I was before. Not going to mention it, you know the one. I'll be here for a while. It's a pretty comfortable place. Buckbeak says hi to all of you. Have a good summer Harry.

Sirius

He glanced at his clock. 5:45 in the morning. He'd be getting up in a quarter of an hour. Harry picked up Hermione's letter, the only one remaining.

Dear Harry,

Ron told me Fred and George are picking you up tomorrow at 8. Just telling you, you guys are picking me up at 9. I think we're using either a new magic car Mr. Weasley got or else we're flying really really high on our brooms so no one can possibly see. You never know. I just know they're gonna be hovering somehow outside your and my window. Don't tell the Dursleys that, I know they'll try to punish you. See you tomorrow.

Love,

Hermione

*Tomorrow at 8. I can't wait.* Then he laughed out loud. There was a loud knocking on the door. Harry glanced at the clock again. 6:00. "What are you laughing at in there, boy? Get out here, eat your breakfast quick and go away." Uncle Vernon's voice boomed through the door. Harry reluctantly got up. He sighed. Thank God he wasn't going to be here for long.

At breakfast, everyone ignored him, as usual. Uncle Vernon read the newspaper, Aunt Petunia split her time between making breakfast and spying on the neighbors. Dudley watched TV. Finally, when breakfast was over, Harry approached Uncle Vernon. "I've got an invitation to my friend from…my friend's house. He wants to come tomorrow morning at 8." Harry informed his uncle. Uncle Vernon stared at him like he was something the cat dragged in. After a while, Harry broke the silence and said, "Alright, I'll just go write to Sirius and tell him I'll be here all summer." Uncle Vernon's eyes widened. "This…this Sirius is your godfather, yes?" he asked loudly. Harry nodded, trying not to laugh at the horrified expression on Uncle Vernon's face. "Well, then, you write and tell this…this friend of yours you can go." Harry nodded curtly and went to his room, hiding his laughter until he got there. He turned over Ron's letter, and scrawled a messy sentence: I can come, I scared the hell outta Uncle Vernon when I told him I would write to Sirius. –Harry

***

*The next day*

Harry jerked awake, put his glasses on, and looked at the clock hopefully. *Yes! It's 7:00, only one more hour.* he thought joyfully. He started by packing his cauldron and school things, and the hour passed quickly. Soon he was done. Just as he sat down to take a break, he glanced out the window and spotted a big black thing about a mile off and it was coming closer every second. Harry grinned to himself. *The Weasleys must have gotten a new car and Mr. Weasley enchanted it again.* He went over to the door and looked out. He could hear the Dursleys downstairs talking. Probably about him again. They were always muttering nasty things about him. Anyway, it wouldn't matter, he'd leave without telling them. Who cared? He sure didn't. Finally, the black car was hovering outside his window. TO his surprise, it wasn't Mr. Weasley driving, but Fred. George was right next to him, with Ron in the back. Harry noted there were two spaces next to Ron in the back. *For Hermione.* He assumed. "Hey you guys! What's up?" He called, but not too loud or else the Dursleys would hear. "Nothing but being forced to be the chauffeur." Fred replied. Then he grinned. "Just joking, man, it was our idea.""And guess what we have for ickle Duddykins!" George added in his babytalk voice. He pulled something out of his pockets. "Canary Creams! And don't tell Mom, okay? We're supposed to have stopped the idea of a joke shop. But I don't think we will now, right, Fred?" Fred nodded, giving Harry a secret grateful glance for the thousand galleons he'd given them instead of keeping after the Triwizard Tournament that he'd won. Hedwig watched the candies with her beady eyes. Then she rustled her feathers and nipped Harry's fingertips affectionately. "No, Hedwig, the candies are bad for you." He stroked her neck. "Alright Harry, do us a favor and think of something to get…can you use your invisibility cloak and get down there? It would be a shame not to give Dudley his 'present'." George smirked wickedly. " Harry nodded, flipped open his suitcase, and handed it over to George, who just stared blankly at him. "Go on," Harry prodded him. "You've been bothering me about letting you try once, here's your chance. The cupboard door's locked, by the way. Here, lock my book in there." Harry gave him one of his many books. George nodded, slipped on the cloak, and disappeared. "Careful of the stairs, some of them creak!" Harry hissed, hoping George would hear. Several minutes later, a stair near the top creaked slightly. "Damn!" George muttered. Then he appeared again and handed the cloak to Harry. "It was so cool, man, thanks!" Harry smiled. "Thanks. Now come down with me to get the book. Drop the candies on the table, Dudley won't think we left it there, he has so much candy anyway." Then together they disappeared down the stairs. After a while, Harry and George were back, satisfied smiles plastered all over their faces. Seconds later, they heard very heavy footsteps cautiously nearing the candy. Suddenly, "YAAAHHHHHH!!!!!", and Aunt Petunia's terrified voice. Fred, Ron, Harry and George all burst into quiet chuckles. Then they packed up Harry's things, got into the flying car, and drove off to Hermione's.

(A/N: Hope ya like this guys, I'm working on the continuation, so you won't have to wait long. And sorry for the delay, I don't have the Internet on my laptop at my summer home.) 


	3. The Discovery

Disclaimer: Yes, everything but the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling (unfortunately). 

A/N: Sorry it took sooo long to get this up, I'm lazy and I've been pushed to the limit with homework. But it's Xmas break…so I hope chapter 4 will be finished and posted by early January.

Chapter 3 – The Discovery 

Hermione sat waiting at her window. She glanced at her watch. It was already 9:15. They were late. Probably Fred and George with their tricks again. *_Like that time they gave Dudley a Ton-Tongue Toffee._* She thought, smirking. *_I wish I was there to see that._* Finally, there was a faint noise through her open window. On the horizon, very high up, she could just make out a black car. *_Good. They're here and I can ask them what they did to Dudley this time._* In a few minutes they were exchanging greetings and getting Hermione's bags into the car. 

"So, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, what's with the big goofy grins, huh?" Hermione asked innocently. "You look like something just happened to Dudley." At the mention of his name, all four boys burst out laughing. 

"Oh, no, we just gave him a few candies, let's say." Harry said slyly. 

Hermione smiled. "I knew it. What happened to him?" 

George snorted. "He turned into a huge feathery _bird, that's what __happened. We gave him a few Canary Creams and Harry's aunt was right there. Oh, you should have heard her __scream, it was so __loud!" _

Hermione's face split into a devilish grin. "Okay, you can tell me how you did it after I'm in and we're on our way. We're a bit late…" Fred nodded. And then they were off.

When they arrived at the Weasleys' house, Mrs. Weasley immediately bustled out to welcome them cheerily. 

"Harry, Hermione, so nice to see you again! Come in and relax, I've got lunch cooking." George dumped the last of Harry's luggage on the floor and grinned at him. 

Then Ron tugged on Harry's arm and said, "C'mon, let's go put all your stuff in my room…" and he lead both of them up towards his room. "Oh yeah," Ron turned back, "Hermione, you're staying with Ginny again, okay?" Hermione nodded. When they got up to his room and Harry put his stuff down, they sat and started to talk about what to do. "Okay," Ron started, "Mom wants us to clean out the attic 'cause the ghost that lives up there went on holiday and we finally have a chance to clean up everything. By the way, if you find anything up there you want, Mom says you're welcome to keep it. It's all junk and stuff from our relatives that we don't want anyway. Hermione and Ginny are coming with us, okay?" 

Harry nodded, excited at the prospect of seeing Ginny again. 

"Hey, you want to practice some Quidditch later? We can use apples or something." 

Ron grinned. "Sure, Harry. Dude, let's go down for lunch now, Mom's going to have a fit if her food gets cold." Harry followed Ron to lunch.

***

A few hours later, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were sitting on the floor in a circle, discussing random topics. 

"Do you guys wanna go through the attic and find something to play with?" Ron suggested suddenly. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny looked at each other in unison and said "Ok!" all together.

Once up there, the idea wasn't so appealing anymore. 

"This place is dark." Ginny muttered, slipping her hand into Harry's. 

"That's okay," Hermione said. She mumbled "Lumos!" and a tiny light popped up on the end of her wand. She repeated the spell three more times, each time handling someone else's wand. When she was done, all of them had magic lights. Harry and Ginny had stopped holding hands the second Hermione conjured the spell. They still didn't want to break the news yet. *_It will be hard keeping it a secret though._* Ginny thought. *_Hard to just act like the way it was before. Well, I'll just have to give it a try._* She added to herself grudgingly. *_Hell, who gives? They'll find out eventually._* 

"C'mon," muttered Hermione. "Let's go, it's creepy in here." 

Ron shook his head. "Sorry, Hermione, but I gotta get this place cleaned out. Let's spread out. I'll do that wall, Hermione, you do this wall, Harry and Ginny, take those two side walls."

Several minutes later, they had managed to clean off everything using various spells, and also managed to organize everything so they could go through it all. Ron looked at everybody. 

"Ready to start digging?" he asked, grinning and wiping sweat from his brow. Simultaneously, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all replied "YES!" from their varied locations. "Alright." Said Ron.

About an hour or so later, they broke for dinner. When they came back, instead of digging some more, they shared some of their finds. 

"…costumes belonged to one of my uncles I think…" 

But Ginny's mind began to wander. *_Is there anything in this room worth exploring?_* she thought desperately. *_There's just nothing interesting to look through!_* 

"…yeah, I saw it too, great big rat…" 

Ginny's eyes subconsciously started searching the walls for any sort of secret passage, like in the movies.

"…think the cartons are stuck to the floor and wall….no, they won't come off…"

Ginny barely even heard the words, she just let her eyes follow to the cartons her friends were talking about. She began to study it harder and harder, until all things but the cartons and the surrounding wall and floor were blurred. Then she saw the lines, the cracks in the door. Even though it wasn't easy to see, Ginny was absolutely sure there was a secret door behind there. Then the voices going on in the background interrupted and pulled her closer to consciousness. 

"Ginny! Ginny, wake up, wake UP!" Ginny did wake up to find herself sitting straight as a ramrod, her eyes fixed on the "door". 

"Ginny, what is it?" Harry asked, concerned. Ginny got up. She felt like she was in a trance, slowly, ever so slowly making her way towards the door. 

"I think she sees something." Hermione stated matter-of-factly. Ginny ignored the voices. She walked right up to the door and started to rip the wall paper around the door so it could be opened. 

"What's she doing?" she heard Ron say indistinctly. 

"Oh…my…God…" Hermione gasped, suddenly realizing what was going on. "She _sees something, I think…if you stand where I'm standing and stare hard, it's…a door! Ron, did you know about this door?!" Ron shook his head. _

"Anyway," Harry interrupted, watching Ginny, "Want to help her?" They joined Ginny in ripping the wallpaper in places only Ginny and Hermione could see. Finally, it revealed a huge and shiny wooden door with a silver handle built into the door so that you could lift out the handle and open the door without any bumps sticking out. 

"Wow!" breathed Hermione, backing away. Ginny suddenly snapped out of her trance. 

"What happened? I was dreaming I saw a door…" Her voice trailed off when she half turned and saw the looming door behind her. "Somebody pinch me, I think I'm still dreaming." She pinched herself. "Oww! No, I'm awake. How did we come across _this?" She noticed that everybody was staring at her. The realization dawned on her. "I saw this…didn't I?" she asked suspiciously. The three of them nodded. "Okay…so…let's go see what's behind it!" Mutely, they nodded again. The boys worked to pull the door open, as they were stronger. _

After several minutes, "It's no use," Harry gasped, leaning against the wall and cleaning his glasses, "It's too heavy." 

Hermione went to examine the door. "It's locked." She said. "Back away for a second…" Obediently, Harry, Ron and Ginny all backed away from the door. "_Alohomora!" Hermione snapped curtly, sounding just like Professor McGonagall. The door instantly sprang open, startling them with a loud BANG! and a blinding flash of light. They all shaded their eyes and peered into the light. All they could make out was a very small room with a tiny window lighting up the fine layer of dust all over. _

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed. "So _that's what the mystery window leads to." Seeing Harry and Hermione's confusion, he explained hastily. "We all were trying to figure out where the window led to, 'cause it wasn't anywhere in the attic and we went crazy looking for it. But I guess we found it, huh?" Ginny had an expression on her face that clearly broadcast her eagerness to explore. _

"Guys…there's a trapdoor right in the middle of the floor…with a silver handle. Who votes for opening it and seeing what's inside? I want to." Without waiting for an answer, she promptly walked in and slipped her slender hand through the ring on the trapdoor. She started to pull, and the floor underneath her creaked dangerously. By instinct, Harry grabbed Ginny around the waist and pulled her backwards, just as the trapdoor flew open and the floor Ginny had been standing on sagged and snapped, leaving a gaping hole in the floor to reveal a chamber underneath. 

Hermione asked, "Ginny, are you alright?" 

Ginny nodded. "Just a bit shaken up though." She leaned back on Harry, whose arm was still around her waist. "Thanks, Harry." Ron watched, his eyes widening more by the second. Harry noticed, and pulled his arm away, blushing furiously. Ron had that look as if he figured something out. 

"Ron," Harry gave him a weird look, "You know, if you're not careful, you'll turn into a goldfish or something. Relax the eyes." He grinned. Ron's eyes stopped getting bigger, but now they were definitely narrowed and suspicious. 

"Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" He asked, his eyes narrowing even further. Harry and Ginny both blushed at the same time, and Hermione started giggling. 

"What?" Ron turned to Hermione. "Tell me! I want to know what's going on!" Hermione glanced at Harry and Ginny for permission. Ginny winked. 

"Alright, Ron," Hermione said, "Harry and Ginny are going out." 

This time, Ron's eyes rolled straight up and he started to make a choking sound. When he eventually recovered, he managed to croak, "My best friend and my sister are GOING OUT and I didn't even KNOW?!" 

Ginny looked embarrassed. "Well, um, Ron, uh, we were, uh, we were going to tell you but-" 

Harry interrupted her. "But we thought you might fall out the window in shock or something…so we…um…decided not to tell you."  Ginny nodded. 

Ron looked satisfied. "Well anyway, now that I've gotten over my slight heart attack, let's go see what's in the trapdoor quick. Or maybe we should do it tomorrow? It's already 9:30, and we have to go to bed at 10. Of course, Mom and Dad go to bed around 12, so we could always get up to play cards or something with Fred and George. But if we do, we'll have to use Ginny's room…it's the biggest. Is that alright?" After all agreeing on what to play, when to get up, what the secret knock was to be and everything, they separated to their own rooms. "Don't forget," Hermione reminded them, "Tomorrow we check out what's in the secret room. I already sealed it back, so we'll have to undo it again tomorrow. Goodnight!"

***

The next morning, they gulped down a quick breakfast and ran straight up to the attic. Hermione unsealed the door with a flourish, and they crowded around the still open trapdoor, careful to avoid the hole or create another one. 

"It must be about 10 feet down," Harry exclaimed. "But I'll go…I just want my wand so I don't hurt myself." 

Ginny stepped forward. "If Harry goes, I go. If there's anything harmful down there, it's my fault for leading you here, so I'm going." 

"But Ginny-" Harry and Hermione protested. 

Ron cut them off. "Guys, when she talks like that, there's no arguing with her. Just…Harry, take care of her, okay?" Harry winked. 

"Alright, let's go, already." Ginny urged. Then both of them, grabbing each other's wrists, jumped down into the hole. 

"It's dark in here," Ginny muttered. "Alohomora!" Harry repeated the spell, so that they could see. 

"It's so…old and musty and everything." Harry said. "It's pretty big too, let's split up and search this room." Ginny nodded and began searching the left side of the room. Harry searched the right. 

"Nothing," He reported, yelling up into the light. 

"Search for a trapdoor again or some secret thing." Hermione called back. "There has to be something in there, it wouldn't be down there for no reason." 

"Ok!" Ginny replied. "Search the wall for cracks." They split up the room again, but they found nothing. "Let's do each other's sides just in case we missed something." Ginny began moving around the right side of the room, feeling the walls and the floor. Suddenly, she caught her fingernail in something. It was a rectangular shaped bump, so slight it was almost impossible to see, sticking out of the wall. She kept her hand there so she wouldn't lose it, and yelled, "Harry! I found something!" Harry immediately scrambled over to help her. "The wall paper is attached to the drawer thing. We have to tear it off." With help from Harry, she managed to tear the paper off the whole of the drawer. It revealed a beautiful mahogany wood drawer with a gold clasp to pull it out. The clasp was studded with diamonds, sapphires, emerald, silver and rubies. "Wow!" Ginny breathed. "It's so…pretty. We have to open it." Together, they pulled open the drawer. Inside, on top of a cover of blue velvet, lay a diary, old and worn. Harry flipped the diary open, and on the inside they could clearly read the name Veronica Weasley in cursive. 

"Weasley." Harry muttered. He looked at Ginny. "Is she a relative of yours?" 

Ginny shrugged. "I'll ask mom at lunch. Let's get back downstairs, I feel dirty." 

***

Everyone at the table sat in silence, quietly pondering the mysterious diary discovered minutes before. Mrs. Weasley was bustling about, serving food and not noticing the lack of conversation. Mr. Weasley was at work, but Bill and Charlie had come to visit. They were busy fishing out unknown lumps from their pie, glaring at Fred and George, who were smirking and trying to hide it. Finally Mrs. Weasley sat down, and Ginny immediately looked up. 

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do we have any relatives whose name was Veronica?"

Mrs. Weasley frowned, her whole face going dark. "The bad one." She muttered.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron watched her curiously. The change in Mrs. Weasley was extremely unusual, as she had been in a jovial mood before. The four kids exchanged looks.

"Mom?" Ginny peered curiously at her mother. "What do you mean by the bad one?"

Mrs. Weasley considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Veronica was the black sheep of the family." She explained. Everyone, including Fred, George, Bill and Charlie, stared. Apparently no one knew about her. Mrs. Weasley continued, "She fell in love with a piece of filth." She spit out the last word like it was curse. 

"Filth?"

"Never mind, dear."

"So…was Veronica one of Dad's cousins, Mom?" Ron asked.

"No, thankfully," She replied, "Veronica was your father's cousin's cousin. Why do you ask about her, anyway?"

No one answered, so Ginny did. "Well, we found this spell that…uh…reveals your whole family tree, and Ron wanted to try it, and we didn't know who she was." She finished triumphantly.

Mrs. Weasley only frowned, but said no more. 

Lunch was finished rather loudly, as Fred and George had invented some new jokes, including a chocolate flavored candy they named the Temporario Gacioso, which made the consumer repeatedly pass gas for 5 minutes. It was the perfect candy of revenge. 

Bill, unbeknownst to him, had a Temporario Gacioso, or the TG, as they were beginning to call it, slipped onto his plate. A few seconds later, a familiar noise floated up from under the table. Fred and George gave in and burst out laughing, and Ginny and Hermione began to giggle. Mrs. Weasley even managed a smile.

"FRED AND GEORGE, I WILL GET YOU TWO FOR THIS!" Bill shrieked, and promptly ran from the room, another loud rumbling escaping before he managed to get to the stairs. Everyone else collapsed in laughter. Ron was rolling on the floor, Charlie was holding onto his sides, and Ginny and Harry were leaning on each other for support. The look on Bill's face was priceless.

Mrs. Weasley was giggling too, but still sternly reprimanded the twins. "Now, Fred, George, you know it's not nice to do things like that to Bill, especially at lunch."

Everyone immediately sobered up and soon chatting broke out. A while later, lunch was over, and Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and said a few spells. The dirty dishes flew to the sink, the sink water turned on, and in a matter of minutes the dishes were thoroughly cleaned and everyone got up to leave. The girls, Ron and Harry quickly sneaked back up to the attic, and there, in the musty light, they opened the diary and read it together. The entries were short and nothing much happened, so Hermione rapidly flipped through the pages until she came to an entry in early July. She quickly scanned over the scribbles, not letting anyone else see, and when she finished, she looked up to find three pairs of inquiring eyes watching her. Hermione's face darkened.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Veronica Weasley fell in love with a Malfoy."

(A/N: Stef, if you're reading, review, k? I have a temporary case of writer's block…flames are welcome.)


	4. Veronica's Secret

(A/N: Lisa, sorri this took so long, the damn computer erased the file and I had to do a rewrite. But this is 4 u cuz u reminded me I still have 2 keep writin! Jenn 2.)  
  
Disclaimer: The usual, you know it already.  
  
Veronica's Secret  
  
***  
  
Hermione's face darkened.  
  
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked, confused.  
  
"Veronica Weasley fell in love with a Malfoy."  
  
***  
  
There was a sudden confused silence, then Ron blurted out, "A Weasley? Fell in love with…a Malfoy?!"  
  
"That's what the entry says." Ginny replied. "Should we read it?" She turned to Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, why don't we?" Hermione picked up the diary from the floor and they moved to sit in a circle.  
  
"It's near the end of the diary, early July. The entries are about a page long each. Here goes…  
  
1 "Saturday, July 5, 1993  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I can't believe this happened, it was so unexpected. Greg and I have fallen in love with each other. I've betrayed my two best friends, Liz Corcos and Greg Malfoy, especially since Greg is Liz's boyfriend! I had come to stay at the Manor for a month to see them again, and today Liz was at work, and so Greg and I were in the living room talking about school days. And all of a sudden, we looked into each other's eyes and I felt something change between us. He felt it too, I know he did! I feel so guilty, doing this to Liz. The horrible thing is, for several hours or so, I didn't even care what happened to her! I only cared about me! I've never been so selfish before, what's going on with me? I must be going crazy.  
  
Ronnie."  
  
"Ginny, you want to read next?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ginny nodded and took the diary.  
  
2 "Sunday, July 6, 1993  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
This is the worst nightmare I've ever had. We were in the living room again, and Liz was still at work, so we decided to have a little chat. But in the middle of it, he just leaned forward and kissed me. I didn't know what to do. Should I continue the kiss and date my best friend's boyfriend behind her back, or should I stay loyal and break it off? I was so confused. Then I just felt disgusted at myself, and on impulse I pulled away quickly. That must have triggered the Malfoy side of him…after so many years…it's the only thing that could have made him do what he did to me next. I broke away, and he hissed at me furiously. Of course, I didn't know what was going to happen, but I was so scared. It's hard to believe that my friend could do this…I can't believe it, one of the Unforgivables! He did the Imperious curse on me! I was so shocked I didn't do anything; I didn't even try to fight it off! I remember back at Hogwarts Liz and I were two of the only kids who could defy the curse, and it all just vanished in one split second. After that…I've tried to forget, but I can't. It's just too terrible. He forced me upstairs and raped me, and taunted me. I just hoped to God Liz wouldn't come home. I was cursed today, because less than half an hour later, there she was, standing at the door, shocked, horrified, and furious. I deserve to be cursed with the eternal love banishing curse on my family, and me, for ever letting him take over. But I have to go. Greg is coming up the stairs, and if he finds that I have recorded this, he will kill me for sure. I have no doubt.  
  
Ronnie."  
  
Ginny's voice stopped abruptly. "That's horrible!" She cried, disgusted. Harry had a look of immense revulsion on his face, and Hermione just stared, shocked. Ginny sighed and continued, "How could he do that to her?"  
  
Ron smiled weakly. "Er…Gin? This is a Malfoy you're talking about."  
  
"Here, I'll read." Hermione broke out of her mixed emotions and flipped the diary page.  
  
"Monday, July 7, 1993  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I hate Greg. I hate him so much. Do you know, Diary, what he made me do today? He cursed me again. I've given up fighting it; every time I do he knows and puts me under the Cruciatus. It's agony…I can't stand it. And he invented this stupid story about David, his cousin, to make Liz believe we weren't having an affair, we were trying to save her life. Some lie. She didn't believe us and walked off without taking off the curse. After that Greg got really angry, and yelled at me for not lying well enough. I don't think he's himself anymore. He did something he's never done to anyone before…can you believe he beat me with whatever he could get a hold on? I had bruises all over my body and I had to heal them just now. That disgusting piece of…ugh! I wish I could run away and never come back. But again…if I do, he'll hunt me down and torture me. Oh no, Greg's calling, I'd better go, if he knew kept a diary and wrote down what he did to me, I am sure I will be tortured.  
  
Ronnie."  
  
Hermione looked up to see Ginny's slightly teary eyes on Harry's shoulder, his arm around her. She was trembling with anger. Harry mumbled, "That damn Malfoy…" under his breath.  
  
Hermione said, "There's one page left. Should I finish it?"  
  
Ginny sat up, her stormy eyes returning to its normal sweetness. "Surely all Malfoys can't be that bad?" she wondered, changing the subject.  
  
"Well, as Ron said, this is the Malfoy family you're talking about, so I wouldn't know," replied Harry, smiling.  
  
"All right," Hermione interrupted. "Here's the last page.  
  
3 Tuesday, July 8, 1993  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Life is looking as bleak as ever. Greg is leaving tomorrow to a far away country and taking me with him. I overheard him talking to one of his fellow Death eaters a while ago, and Voldemort wants him in America. Lots of Muggles there, I suppose. Disgusting. Anyway, I shall find a way to let Liz find this diary. I just hope whichever way I do it, it will work. She must know the truth! I've got to go, I have to get ready for the trip to dreaded America. I will find a way!  
  
Ronnie."  
  
A moment's pause, then Ron said softly, "I guess she never made it."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So…if…this Ronnie girl was a Weasley, doesn't that mean you guys are cursed too?" Harry asked Ginny and Ron.  
  
"Er…"  
  
"I think so…" Ginny added. "But if we're cursed too, why isn't the curse in effect? I mean, if it worked, I wouldn't be Harry's girlfriend, would I?"  
  
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's true."  
  
"We could ask Dad." Ron suggested. "He knows all about the family history."  
  
"Ok."  
  
*Later*  
  
The four sat at the table with the rest of the family, chatting amongst themselves. Suddenly Ginny remembered to ask about the diary.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You know Cousin Veronica?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What did she do that was so bad?"  
  
"Well, first, she stole her best friend's boyfriend, then she became his right hand when he became a death eater. I remember Aunt Rachel telling me about it several years ago. Veronica's only in her mid thirties. Haven't seen her for years though, she moved to America in 1993. I heard she'd gotten herself and our whole family cursed too. Something about no love in the family. But I don't think it worked too well, we haven't had anything bad happen, have we, honey?" He glanced at his wife.  
  
"No, we haven't, Arthur."  
  
"If you really want to know all about it, Gin, you can ask your great aunt tomorrow, I forgot to tell you all she's coming for a visit."  
  
*Next afternoon *  
  
"Aunt Rach!" Mr. Weasley greeted her with a hug, the door swinging wide open to reveal everyone else squished into the front hall.  
  
"How are you, Arthur? I haven't talked to you in the longest time! And Molly, still as pretty as ever, I'd say!" She stepped in and hugged each Weasley in turn. "Bill, Charlie, you're both so tall now! Fred and George, still up to your usual tricks? Ron, you've grown! And Ginny! Such a blooming flower!" She turned to Harry and Hermione. "You must be Harry and Hermione! Arthur told me you were visiting. How are you?"  
  
Harry grinned. "Great, thanks. And you?"  
  
A split second later, Hermione added, "Fine, thank you. And you?"  
  
Ron snorted into his hand and Ginny giggled. Even Aunt Rachel smiled.  
  
"I'm perfectly fine. All right, let's settle down, shall we?"  
  
The whole family made its way out into the spacious backyard, where two old wooden tables sat lined with plates, eating utensils, etc.  
  
Mrs. Weasley waved everybody into a seat. "Sit, sit, supper will be out in a moment."  
  
The chattering began. About halfway through supper, Ginny thought to ask Aunt Rachel about Veronica. She leaned over to Ron's ear and hissed, "When are we going to ask about Cousin Veronica?"  
  
Ron choked, startled, and managed to splutter, "Afterwards, when we're all relaxing. Not now!" His cheeks had turned slightly pink, and Ginny patted his back until his face returned to normal. "Thanks, Gin."  
  
"No problem."  
  
*After supper*  
  
Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron sat playing chess in the living room talking about school and the things they could do to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Across the room sat Aunt Rachel and Mr. Weasley, chatting constantly about what was going on in the world. Harry glanced at his watch impatiently. Ron had beaten him in six games, Ginny five, and Hermione eight. He was starting to get sick of chess. Harry frowned. *11:00 already! When will we get enough free time to talk to Aunt Rachel about Veronica? We really need some answers here!* As he listened, he suddenly heard Mr. Weasley say, "Ugh, all this talking has gotten me very thirsty. Care for a drink?"  
  
"No thanks, Arthur, I'm all right."  
  
"Be right back." Mr. Weasley got up and left to get his drink.  
  
*Perfect!* Harry thought. "Guys," he hissed. "Now's the perfect time to ask about Veronica!"  
  
Ron jumped up energetically. "Ok! Let's go!"  
  
The four of them got up, careful not to disrupt the chess pieces, and made their way to Aunt Rachel.  
  
Ron said, "Aunt Rachel, can we ask you some things about Cousin Veronica?"  
  
She glanced at him, curious and surprised, but nodded. "Of course. Might as well, I probably know more than most people because she told me all about it. What do you want to know?"  
  
Cautiously, not wanting to let on that they'd seen the diary, Hermione timidly asked, "Can you tell us the whole story?"  
  
"Well it goes like this. Back in around early 1993 I hadn't seen Veronica for almost a year, so I asked her if she could come visit me. She said she would, but she was staying with her best friend Liz and Liz's boyfriend Greg. Still remember him very well. Rather oily sort of guy. She told me she was going to be at Malfoy Manor for a month or so, then she'd come see me, because I lived five blocks away from Malfoy Manor. Of course, several weeks later, she came to stay at the Manor, and then the most horrible rumors began going around. I heard she'd run off with Greg to America, I believe New York. I didn't believe a single word of it, until days later I sent a letter to Malfoy Manor asking what was happening." Aunt Rachel stopped to take a few breaths. "The letter I got back wasn't from Veronica, it was from Liz. She explained that it was an extremely long story, but to cut things short, Greg put the Imperious on Veronica, took her to America, and had been pretending to love Liz for many years. 17, I think. They were engaged, but barely anyone knew. Being a naturally curious person, I asked for the whole story. It turns out that Greg was a junior Death eater, he helped You-Know-Who as much as he could, but did not have the Dark Mark engraved on his forearm. Liz had come home one day to see Veronica and Greg in bed, and several days later the two of them fled to America and left Liz everything else in the Manor. Liz was furious, she told me, but eventually she'd found out that Greg hadn't loved her and Veronica had controlled by the curse. I asked her how, and she said she'd gotten a parcel one day. On opening it, there was a diary inside, a bit transparent. It was a copy of the real one, of course. She recognized it instantly, as she'd seen it before. Naturally, she was totally bewildered until she read the whole thing. That's how she found out about the Imperious curse and everything."  
  
There was a pondering silence for a moment, then Harry blurted out, "But if she knew the whole story, what about the curse? Did she take it off or what?"  
  
Aunt Rachel smiled, looking somewhat amused. "Why, of course. She was brought up well enough to know she cursed Veronica unnecessarily. So she secretly went to America, kidnapped Veronica for about 10 minutes, and took off the curse. Actually, she didn't really take it off, she put it in a jar, and Ronnie put the curse on their victim."  
  
There was a smugness in Aunt Rachel's voice that sent shivers up Hermione's spine. Without asking, she could guess where the curse went. Malfoy. The name rang shrilly in her mind, taunting her. She shook her head, trying to clear her miserable thoughts out. Aunt Rachel, noticing Hermione's expression, concernedly inquired, "Hermione, are you alright, dear?"  
  
Hermione nodded and instantly wiped her emotions off her face, hoping that no one understood the meaning of her misery except for Ginny. Unfortunately for her, Harry caught the look, and secretly wondered if she liked Malfoy. That look on her face, just like the way Ginny used to look at me in her 1st year. If she really does like Malfoy, that will make her all the more vulnerable to his cruelty. I have to talk to her about it! He thoughtfully propped up his chin. The room drifted comfortably into quiet, each person thinking their own thoughts. Hermione, wondering if Draco could ever change. Ginny, thinking up ways to help her. Harry trying to figure out whether Hermione like Malfoy or not. And Ron, totally oblivious to what was going on, involved in thoughts that went something like: Well, sure is a good thing Cousin Veronica isn't cursed anymore. Wonder would I would do about my horrible love life if I was to be cursed. Absolutely horrible. Very good thing Malfoy is double cursed. He deserves it. I say, calling Hermione a mudblood! The slimy git.  
  
Aunt Rachel sat inconspicuously surveying the scene before her. She could easily tell what the others were thinking, having experience in reading people's expressions. She had known, right away, how Hermione felt about one of the Malfoys. Most likely Draco, the youngest and in her age group. And she had known, by that fiery flash in her eyes, that Hermione would do anything to take the curse off and be with him. By the expressions on everyone's face, she guessed that Ginny knew, Harry suspected, and Ron didn't know a thing. Of course, she was right.  
  
A sudden light thumping signaled that Mr. Weasley was returning with his drink, and the kids scrambled up and took off to Ron's and Ginny's rooms.  
  
*Later that night*  
  
Hermione rolled around in her bed restlessly, unable to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about the curse and if there was a way to get it off. Beside her, Ginny stirred lightly. Sighing, Hermione got up and went to rummage through her trunk, looking for the DADA book she had borrowed. I wonder what the curse is called? I know it makes your family love barren…so it should be…the Love Banishing curse? Ugh… She opened the musty 1-foot-thick book and searched the Index for curses involving love. There were about fifty. Scanning down the list, she noted the names of several potential spells. Forever Barren…Love to Hate…there we go! Love Banishing curse, page 856. Hermione flipped to page 856 and began to read the paragraph introducing the curse. She began muttering notes to herself.  
  
"Banishes love from the family tree of the victim…should be used only in extreme cases…used to be illegal…"  
  
Below the description of the curse, Hermione searched frantically for the counter curse. She read it out loud to herself. "The Love Banishing curse is irreversible unless either the curser removes it with the counter curse Restorator Lovilias, or a complicated ritual is performed. The ritual is a restoration one, and requires four people who are very close friends with or in a relationship that doesn't work out with the victim. The cursed must sit in the center of a circle drawn with powdered horn of a Bicorn drinking a Peace potion while the curse breakers walk around the circle clockwise 3 times chanting the following words: Restorator Lovilias, remover el maldición, con todo nuestro amor, restorator lovilias. Then the four must stand around the circle at the points of North, South, East and West, and must point their wands at the cursed while simultaneously calling Restorator Lovilias. The timing must be exact, or the ritual counter curse will backfire and cause mayhem."  
  
Groaning, she sank onto the bed. How are we going to manage this? She thought hopelessly. At the same time, Ginny sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  
  
"Hermione! What are you doing?"  
  
Hermione explained to Ginny everything she'd just found out. Ginny's expression went from confused to surprised, and finally to sympathy.  
  
"So you see, either we get Veronica to take off the curse, which is not likely, or do this ritual, which is almost as hard." Hermione finished sadly.  
  
Ginny smiled encouragingly and said, "Well, then let's go see Cousin Veronica. We'll talk to the boys in the morning."  
  
*The next morning over breakfast*  
  
"Mum, we want to go visit Cousin Veronica today, can we go?" Ginny asked bluntly at breakfast. Mrs. Weasley looked at her, utterly bewildered at such a request, but mutely nodded.  
  
"Sure, honey. I'll see if she's alright with that."  
  
Five minutes later, she came back and announced that the four of them could go, but to "remember your manners and don't be rude". So the gang packed up a few things and fetched the Floo powder.  
  
"She lives in America, by the way." Hermione reminded them. "Um, it's 128 Barkly Avenue, San Francisco, California. I suppose we'll have to say the whole thing." Calling into the fire, she tossed the pinch of powder and stepped in. One by one, they disappeared with small flashes, not knowing what was going to happen next.  
  
  
  
(A/N: this is 4 u Lis, cuz u r the one who wanted me to keep going. I dunno if the chant actually makes sense grammatically, cuz I looked up the words in my mom's Spanish dictionary, and I made up that place in San Fran. Plz r/r, and maybe I'll write faster this time! LoL) 


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